Alia Bhatt continues to be lauded for her recent flawless appearances at the Cannes Film Festival 2026. Whether you take a look at her stunning red carpet appearances or gorgeous photoshoots on the French Riviera, Alia has been winning hearts with her looks. For the unversed, the actress is at Cannes as the brand ambassador of L’oreal Paris. In addition to her viral looks, her statement from a recent chat has also taken over social media. During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Alia talked at length about the kind of changes she would want to see in Indian cinema. And her perspective has led to huge online debate. While many have agreed to what she said, others have been taking a dig at her.
What is Alia Bhatt’s viral statement about?
In her recent chat with Anupama Chopra, Alia shared her thoughts on how several Hollywood movies with women-centric themes have emerged as Box Office successes. “When I look at the landscape, I think we’re in a very fascinating time today If you take a look at the box office, you’ll see the films that have done phenomenally well: Barbie, Wuthering Heights, and The Devil Wears Prada. These are a few; I am sure there are way more, and their main audience, perhaps, was women. Women were showing up, watching these films, which have now become massive hits,” Alia said.
When asked about Indian cinema, Alia said, “But in India, when we talk about box office and numbers, there is a conversation that comes up pretty often, which is 75% of the movie-going audience is male, so we need to cater to the masses. This conversation comes up quite a bit. I wonder if we are catering just to the men, then what happens to the women? I am not saying alienate the men, but why do we have to alienate anyone? Why do we have to cater to one gender? Why can’t we make movies that are gender-agnostic, where the storytelling takes centre stage? So, whether it stars a man or a woman, that should not matter. It is the storytelling that should matter. I’m just hoping we have more of that.”
Alia Bhatt when in India: People called me Lady Amitabh Bachchan after Gangubai ?
Alia Bhatt abroad: Women are making films like Barbie, Devil Wears Prada, massive hits. But in India we are supposed to cater to the masses coz the movie going audience is male ?? pic.twitter.com/wzNR4aeSXh
— Raj (@idfcwau) May 12, 2026
How have netizens reacted to Alia’s reaction?
As soon as the interview went viral, netizens were quick to share their views. Alia was lauded by many for sharing her perspective honestly. Others praised her for putting focus on the lack of female-focused commercial films in India. But not all were impressed. Some felt her statement was linked to the recent blockbuster success of Dhurandhar 2. One comment read, “Never encountered a single intelligent Dhurandhar fan, and this proves it again. You lack cinema literacy and comprehension skills. Alia Bhatt is pointing out that films often cater to gender-specific narratives, with women-centric stories being fewer. She says that both male and female-centric films deserve equal space (sic).”
Another user posted, “While her statements are somewhat true – I deeply feel she’s worried about Alpha post Dhurandhar Saga’s Indian film industry revolutionising success! Al!A, aren’t you doing female-centric films with Maddock, YRF, did 2 with Dharma & Gangubai with SLB? (sic).” Another comment read, “Shes probably indirectly crying cos of Dhurandhar’s success she didnt bark when sweet husbands Animal came out that time she was wearing a t shirt with her husband’s Animal poster on it. Double dholki fake bimbo!” Another fan coomented, “Shes probably indirectly crying cos of Dhurandhar’s success she didnt bark when sweet husbands Animal came out that time she was wearing a t shirt with her husband’s Animal poster on it. Double dholki fake bimbo!”
